You may have seen them around town or in the news. Bumper stickers on Teslas broadcasting to anyone who looks: “I bought this before we knew Elon was crazy.”

You might assume it’s there to prevent someone from keying the car or as an attempt to defuse potential hostility in a hyper-politicised landscape. But while it may signal disapproval to like-minded passersby, a sticker is unlikely to dissuade someone already intent on committing a crime (which keying is).

What it does offer, though, is a form of symbolic insurance. You might call it a way to clarify identity in a hostile political environment.

Equal parts apology, protest and cultural timestamp, the message can say more in nine words than a full-blown op-ed. But it’s not just about a car. It’s also about values, identity management and the evolving politics of consumption.

At their core, car bumper stickers function as a vehicle (literally and metaphorically) for identity projection. They are symbols of what psychologists call “low-cost identity displays”, used to project who we are or perhaps more accurately, how we want to be seen.

Buying a Tesla may once have signalled innovation, environmental consciousness, or social progressivism. But Musk’s increasingly polarising public behaviour and political commentary have altered the cultural meaning of the brand.

This creates a sense of

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